Metallic fencepost



B. ANDERSON.

METALLIC FENCEPOST.

APPLICATION FILED MAYI,1919.

1 ,330, 57. Patented Feb; 10,1920.

I V a P 7 jfffi-aefiia I %(/z' 7Z665 s 0/1 @{ZZ ilw kb BROOKE ANDERSON, OF HIGHLAND PARK, ILLINOIS.

METALLIC FENCEPOST.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

' Application filed May 1. 1919. Serial No. 294,015.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BROOKE Axnnnsox, a citizen of the United States, residing at Highland Park, in the county of Lake and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Metallic Fencep osts, of which the following is a specificanon.

This invention has for its object the provision of a device of the class named which shall be of improved construction and operation. The invention is exemplified in the combination and arrangement of parts shown in the accompanying drawing and described in the following specification, and it is more particularly pointed out in the ap )ended claims.

n the drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a fence post embodying the present invention, and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the post shown p in Fig. 1.

In order for a metallic fence post to meet the requirements of the trade, it is desirable that it shall be as light as possible and that it shall have a considerable degree of resiliency. If a metallic post is made sufficiently stiff and heavy so that it will not yield under pressure brought on the fence secured thereto, the amount of material necessary for such a post renders it unnecessarily ex-' the fence WhlCh receives the impact will spring to one side, permitting the force of the impact to be distributed to a number of the posts along the line. Then the impact has been removed, the posts which have yielded will return to their original positions and no permanent harm will be done the fence. Steel angle bars have been found to be a desirable form of material for such posts and the present invention comprises a special section of angle bar which particularly adapts the post to the requirements to which it is subjected. The numeral 10 designates generally a metallic fence post having its lower end sharpened as shown at 11, to permit the post to be readily driven into the ground, andanancher plate 12 is attached to one flange of the angle bar at a point intermediate the lower end ofthe post and the ground line. As will be seen from Fig. 2, the outer faces 13 and ll of the flanges are at substantially right angles to one another, but the inner faces 15 and 16 of the flanges form an obtuse angle with one another sothat the flanges are materially narrower at their outer edges than they are at points adjacent the corner of the post. 'Where the faces 15 and 16 meet, a fillet 17 is formed so that considerable material is located at the point where the two flanges meet, thus producing a strong backbone at the corner ofthe post from which the flanges extend laterally. It will be apparent that this sectional shape permits lateral flexure much lnore readily than would be the case if the usual form of angle bar were used. in which the flanges are of uniform thickness.

lVhen lateral pressure is brought upon a post in the direction of the plane of one of the flangesrthe outer edge of the flange being thin will buckle slightly and permit 'yielding of the post, the edge thus forming aspring in flexure which will return the post to its normal position when the pressure is removed. If the pressure is in a direction to place the outer edge of the flange under tension instead of compression. the post will'again yield more readily than it would if a greater amount of metal were placed at the outer edge of the post and the elasticity of the metal will again return the post to its normal position. It is. well known that a bar or beam in order to resist bending moments should have the material disposed at a distance from the axis of bending, but in a spring member this is not true. The present invention in which, an

'angle bar with taper flanges usedfcombines the properties of a beam for resisting bending and of a spring for returning the post to its initial position after it has been bent.

Another advantage of the sectional shape is that a relatively large amount of material is concentrated at the corner of the post. This produces a stiff spine for resisting the force of driving. and also provides a mass of material to withstand corrosion at the corner of the post. The fillet 17 cooperates with the thickened inner edges of the flanges to accentuate this property of the post.

I claim:

1. A post comprising an angle bar having a flange thereon of greater thickness at its inner edge than at its outer edge to provide a reinforcement for withstanding driving thrust, said post being sharpened at one end to facilitate entrance into the grouml under such thrust.

2. A fence post comprising an angle bar having flanges meeting along adjacent edges said flanges being of greater thickness adjacent said meeting edges than at the outer edges thereof, to provide a reinforced stiffening rib at the juncture of said flanges to withstand driving thrust, said post being sharpened at one end to facilitate entrance into the ground under such thrust.

3. A post comprising an angle bar substantially L-shaped in. cross section and having the. flanges thereof arranged to taper from the connected edges toward the free edges thereof to facilitate spring action of said post under flexure, and means for holding one end of said post in position in the earth, the other end of said post being ar ranged for attachment of, fencing thereto so that lateral pressure on said fencing tends to flex said post.

i. A post comprising an angle bar having the flanges thereof arranged with their outer faces substantially at right angles to one another and with their inner faces arranged at an obtuse angle to one another so that the flanges are tapered from their con nected edges toward the outer edges thereof, one of said flanges being arranged for the attachment of fencing to the outer face thereof adjacent one end of said post, and means for holding the opposite end portion of said post in position in the earth.

5. A post comprising an angle bar having the flanges thereof tapered so that said flanges are thinner at their outer edges than at their connected edges, to facilitate spring action of said post under pressure, said post being formed with a fillet at the inner corner formed by the union of said flanges to strengthen said post against driving thrust and to withstand corrosion, said post being sharpened at one end to facilitate entrance into the ground under driving thrust, and means for holding said end in position in the ground, the opposite end portion of said post being arranged for attachment of fencing thereto.

6. A post comprising an angle bar substantially L-shaped in cross section, the outer faces ofthe flanges of said bair being arranged at right angles to one another, said flanges being tapered from their adjacent edges toward the free edges thereof so that the outer edges of said flanges are thinner than the inner edges thereof to facilitate spring action of said post under flexure, said post being formed with a rounded fillet in the corner formed by the inner edges of said bars so that a thickened portion of metal is disposed at the corners formed by the union of the inner edges of said flanges, said thickened portion constituting a strengthening rib to withstand driving tlrrust, the lower end of said postbeing sharpened to facilitate entrance of said post into the earth under driving thrust, and an anchor plate on said post for holding the lower portion thereof in position in the earth, the upper portion. of said post having perforations therein for the attachment of fencing thereto.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification on this 28th day of April, A. D. 1919.

BROOKE ANDERSON; 

